Opinions about SGS

I've wanted to do something interesting like this for some time. This forum will be devoted exclusively to the Certification company Star Grading Services (SGS), You hear so much about them (mostly negative), but to you, are they really that bad? I would just like to hear your thoughts about these graders. Thanks so much. Enjoy.

 

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any thoughts anyone?

 

Ever heard the old addage, "If you don't have anything good to say it is best to say nothing at all"? It looks like nobody here has anything good to say about SGS.

 

they must have some alluring feature.

 

Sure they do. They overgrade coins. That is very attractive to sellers who sell to buyers who do not know the coin they are buying is overgraded.

 

Their plastic slab is worth $.25 if you've paid more than that plus face value of the coin in it you've overpaid!

 

Go online and look at any coin dealer that sells only or primarily slabbed coins. Count up haw many you'll find slabbed by this company. That should answer your question.

 

I see over 2000 on eBay, and they don't even allow the sale of SGS coins.

 

I really didn't mean coin dealers on ebay, I meant coin dealers that have their own site. I have never seen a coin from this company anywhere but ebay. But, I still look at coins from this company if it is something I am actually looking for. Their reputation is so bad that occasionally you can get a good buy.

 

The difference is ebay will alow anyone to sell anything , go to a coin show or repubatle dealer and the only place you'll see SGS slabs is in their junk pile , I don't think SGS has a grade lower than MS-67 , and that would be on a scrubbed or polished EF coin .
rzage

 

Everyone knows that coin grading is more art than science at the present state of the hobby. To be kind, SGS takes a lot of liberty with the standards and comes up with grades that neither other grading companies nor the vast majority of hobbyists can support. Why would you pay for an opinion that every expert in the field would immediately recognize as wrong?

 

I do think on a rare occasion you can get a MS coin for a low AU price from them. Also sometimes when you see people bidding on their stuff the bidders will have a low number of items they have "won" in the past. But, I would rather have them than the counterfieters we have.

 

I would like to see a link to an example of that situation.

 

If I understand it correctly you can sell any coin from any grading company you want. But, there are rules you can't have their grade listed in the heading. There are other people that will know more about this than I do.

 

Making a decison on a grade is as much an art as a science for a buyer as well as a grader. I'm just saying I've bought a couple of coins from them at very low prices and the coins are very nice and I'm happy with them. The key words there are "I'm happy with them" since it was my money. I just don't like people starting out buying something that is not what they think it is. It is bad for the hobby, but I again I'll take them over the people making and selling fake coins. It appears that is a scam you can get away with for as long as a person has the desire to cheat people.

 

I presume that by "them" you mean SGS.

In which case, what akes you think that their coins are not fakes?
I have never seen anywhere that they guarantee the authenticity of their coins. Has anyone?

 

I think now days if you beg hard enough sgs might slab a coin for you, if you were that hard up for a slab, but the fact is they slab their own pocket change and try to make a profit doing it.

I just visited the website and they say they do not stand behind their grades. Imagine that. Ant they won't grade any coins that aren't "MS Uncirculated coins". They say it would be a waste to grade circulated coins, so they just certify them. from their website- "with sgs you know it's authentic".

They should just say, we prey on the weak.

 

It's not a waste, they just slab them as MS anyway . Can you imagine how circulated a coin would have to be to not qualify as MS by SGS's standards.

 

Yea, they think a vf coin is VERY FINE!!!